Living Environment Translated Arabic 2014 | Page 64

Unit 6: Ecology
A. Vocabulary
1. Ecology- the study of the interactions that take place among
organisms and their environment
2. Biosphere- part of the Earth that supports life, including the top
portion of the Earth’s crust, the atmosphere, and all of the water on
the Earth’s surface
3. Ecosystem- all of the living organisms that live in an area and the
nonliving features in their environment
4. Biome- large areas with similar climates and ecosystems
5. Tundra- biome found near the North Pole that is very cold, dry and
treeless and winters that last 6 to 10 months.
6. Taiga- biome located south of the tundra that has long, cold winters
which can last up to 6 months and cone-bearing trees.
7. Temperate deciduous forests-biome that has four seasons
(
winter, spring, summer, and fall) and has deciduous trees ( have
broad leaves that drop during the fall)
8. Temperate rain forests-biome that has an average temperature
between 9-120 C and trees with needle-like leaves.
9. Tropical rain forest- biome that contains the most variety of
organisms ( biodiversity) ; very hot and steamy area located near
the equator.
10.Desert-the driest biome with thin soil that has very little organic
matter; animals and plants are adapted to survive extreme
conditions.
11.Grassland- biome found in temperate and tropical areas that are
dominated by grasses; good for growing crops and raising sheep
and cattle
12.Wetlands- a land region that is wet most or all of the year
13.Freshwater ecosystem- rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands
14.Marine ecosystem- salt-water ; includes open oceans, coral reefs,
seashores, and estuaries